Needin' Some Grace?
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February 16, 2026A semi-truck rolls into town, its trailer crammed with crates of carrots, bread, cakes, pies, potatoes, onions, mangos, and more. Forklifts rumble in front of the community center, ready unload pallets of lettuce, grapes, crackers, oranges, tortillas, watermelon, mangos and more.High school kids stand ready, alongside retirees, pastors, mechanics and ranch hands, to stock shelves, pack boxes and load utility trailers. The dates stamped on the packages might be close to expiration, but not the energy of the volunteers joining together to help neighbors in a county where one-quarter of the population lives in poverty.My mind drifts to the young lad who assisted his parents in providing music during the course of the retreat. Already a talented musician, he rotated between playing guitar, keyboard and violin.***
Following a retreat, I join the pastor for dinner at a local restaurant. I notice a nearby table of teenagers. They scroll their phones throughout the meal.
***
A passage from the Book of Sirach urges us to choose the good over the bad. When I ponder those words, I see the hands of that young musician as well as the hands of teenagers stocking groceries at a food pantry.
God’s grace.
When I take time to notice, it shows up all over the place.